Chief Justice John Roberts broke with his conservative colleagues in a Supreme Court decision Monday that allowed construction on the proposed White House ballroom to continue, saying the ruling upsets the separation of powers. Roberts…
Page F3From§Eachthe milkman edition — 1 September 2026
Ballroom donors generously agree to let taxpayers cover the rest
The Supreme Court, having allowed the White House ballroom construction, leaves the chief justice dissenting on the grounds of separation of powers. The receipts show donors initiated the project, but the ledger reveals the true sponsor: taxpayers, who cover the balance when private funding falls short. This arrangement is neither surprising nor accidental, hon; it’s the standard operating procedure for public-private partnerships in Washington. The column gap appears in the space between the donor check and the final invoice, filled quietly with public dollars. The size is as precise as the construction bid, and the precedent survives in every renovated wing. In lieu of a line-item, the public receives a ballroom with its name on the receipt.
“You get a ballroom, you get a bill. The Supreme Court greenlights construction, and the donors step aside to let public money finish the job. They say it's about checks and balances, but the check is yours.”
“Look, everyone benefits from new spaces for official business, and it's not like the donors didn't do their part. If there's a gap, sometimes the public steps in—it's perfectly normal. Did I say 'steps aside'? That sounds misleading; really, the donors facilitated the project. No, that's not quite right, either...”
The receipts
Lower-court rulings would have blocked construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom after finding that the Trump administration should have first sought approval from Congress.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.